Via Barry Holbrook: Matchroom Boxing’s Frank Smith says Anthony Joshua will fight Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury in 2023.
Smith says he’s pretty sure the fight against WBC heavyweight champ Fury will take place this year, but what leaves him a little doubtful is how Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) talks about such a regular retirement.
If the Fury fight does happen, that’s great, but Smith won’t expect that until it does. Fury has ruined recent talks with AJ by trying to urge him to sign by setting a deadline.
Joshua vs. Wilder will be interesting to American boxing fans because they love to watch exciting fights. With Fury, he’s going to do a lot of ugly action, and it’s not fun to watch the simple style he uses.
Matchroom Boxing’s Frank Smith said: “We’ve got AJ back, which everyone is excited about as well. iFL TV. “I think it’s either that or Deontay Wilder,” Smith said when asked if we’ll see Joshua fight Tyson Fury in 2023.
“I don’t think too much about Fury at first because every day he changes his mind about whether he’s going to fight AJ or whether he’s going to retire. So you just let it float in the background and if it happens.
“Ultimately, we all want to see that game, but we have to manage AJ’s career in a way that benefits him and not think about other people and their plans.
“I want to see the Fury fight happen, and I’m sure it will. I think it’s too big not to happen. He was clearly focused on the battle with Usyk first. We’ll see what happens there.
“The game against Wilder was also a big one for me.
“Ultimately, we need to come up with a plan that will enable him to rebuild with his team,” Smith said when asked what Joshua would hit next. “He is back after two tough matches against Oleksandr Usyk.
“In the second game, he really improved and he had a great performance. Now he needs a fight to rebuild, and then maybe we should also consider Dillian Whyte’s fight. It’s a fight that everyone cares about. It was a great British war.
“Then that creates the potential of a Wilder or Fury type of fighting,” Smith said.
